From Tokido and Daigo to Punk and iDom, we’ve seen a lot of pro players who have been a force to be reckoned with in past Street Fighter games make their mark here in Street Fighter 6. From the looks of it, another veteran who was not only one of the scene’s best players, but who was also incredibly popular, appears to be back in Street Fighter 6 and is currently on the grind.
High level Street Fighter 6 match footage uploader YogaFlame24 recently released a compilation of footage featuring a player that they claim is none other than Poongko, The Machine. Based on his playstyle and some much older footage, it appears that the player in this video is indeed Poongko, and he appears to be every bit the wild man we remember him to be.
Poongko made a major name for himself back in the Street Fighter 4 days. He was known most for playing as boss character Seth, but also had a strong El Fuerte that he brought out every so often.
If you’re not familiar with Poongko, he was known most for being a fast, frenetic, heavy offense player who overwhelmed opponents with crazy pressure, exceptional reads, and big risks that often paid off for him.
In Street Fighter 6, Poongko appears to be playing Ryu as his main, and though the Shoto tends to be a bit more of a methodical character, this veteran plays him just as we’d expect him to. Though Ryu is often used in SF6 as a zoning character who focuses on throwing fireballs, uppercuts, and getting Denjin Charge stocked to improve this aspect of his game, Poongko opts to mostly do away with that stuff.
Instead, Poongko goes in, uses meter with no fear of consequences or burnout, and throws out Drive Impact whenever he itches for it. In a game like Street Fighter 6 where resource management is so incredibly important, we don’t often see players who play in this way, but that is and has always been Poongko’s way of doing things — and it’s amazing to see.
Check out what Poongko’s Ryu is doing in Street Fighter 6 in the compilation below.